The Soldier and the Gypsy
by Shadeehue
Summary: A mysterious girl runs away and joins a gypsy troupe. But has allowing her to travel with them given them more trouble than they bargained for? Things are not always what they seem...AU with Nejiten and possibly other pairings. New chapter finally P
1. The Runaway

**Disclaimer: I do not own any Naruto characters**

**I've had this on my comp for a little while cos this was meant to be my next main project once I finish Tenten's special assignment but I seem to have encountered a bit of a writer's block for that (plus having lots of assessment for uni doesn't really help). For those who read my other fics I haven't abandoned Tenten's Special Assignment don't worry! Heh my first AU, more Neji and Tenten to come in the following chapters so enjoy and let me know what you think! **

* * *

It was late in the night and the camp fires were starting to die out. The willowy blue-haired girl took a deep breath to calm herself and strode towards one of the gypsies. A boy with short brown spiky hair and red markings on his face was leaning against a brightly coloured wagon having a serious one-sided conversation with his dog that only thumped its tail happily in reply.

"Excuse me sir?" she whispered. She hardly ever spoke to strangers, it had been deemed dangerous for a lady of her status. Especially as the heir, she would make a nice ransom. It was ironic that her father was about to marry her off to one. She had seen him from a distance and he was tall and handsome but there was just something about his cold demeanour that frightened her.

The boy and dog turned towards her curiously and they both studied her garments and the way she held herself. "I'm no sir," he finally replied. "What do you want?"

Hinata winced, it had sounded quite harsh to her and she was about to turn and walk away when the dog trotted towards her and began sniffing her feet, tail wagging. "I-I wish to travel with you and your troupe," she asked hesitantly, changing her mind.

The boy whistled sharply at the dog who promptly returned to his side. He scratched the back of his head looking uncertain, "I'll have to ask the leader, just wait here for a second." With that he strode towards another wagon which was larger and even more colourful than the one he had been leaning against. This wagon had ornate carvings decorating it as well. It was beautiful in a wild kind of way as it had detailed vines and leaves crawling haphazardly all over the sides, a different type of beauty to what she was accustomed to at her austere but imposing home.

A stunning black haired woman who looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties had poked her head out of the caravan and was speaking quietly to the boy she had spoken to. He was gesturing towards her and shrugging his shoulders as the woman questioned him. She came out of the wagon, colourfully dressed, and both gypsies approached her. Hinata gulped, hoping desperately that they would not refuse her. She did not know what she would do if she was refused. The woman smiled at her gently, "You seek passage with us?" She had red eyes, Hinata was quite surprised. Red eyes were quite unusual but then again, so were her own pale pupiless eyes.

Hinata nodded and blushed in reply.

"Girl, where do you wish to go because we follow our own route. We won't escort you to your destination unless it is on our way," the woman explained.

"I-I don't have a particular destination in mind, I just want to get as far away from here as I can," whispered Hinata, tears welling up in her eyes.

The black haired woman nodded sympathetically, the young girl was another runaway as she had been many years ago. She sighed, "You will have to make yourself useful. Will there be anyone looking for you once they realise that you have left?"

Hinata paused, tell the truth that her father would probably send out half his men to search for her and risk being refused passage, or lie and get caught. She opened her mouth to reply but the woman interrupted her. "I'll take that as a yes. Kiba wake the rest of the troupe up and send Tenten to me, we leave now."

The boy nodded and disappeared with his dog into the night. Hinata could hear the troupe of gypsies beginning to stir. The woman motioned to her to follow and Hinata complied. "I'm Kurenai, what's your name?" the red eyed woman asked her kindly.

"Hinata," replied the young girl shyly. "Thank you so much for letting me travel with you. I really don't want to cause you too much trouble…"

"Hinata," said the older woman dryly, "when I was your age I ran away with the gypsies because my parents were going to marry me off to be a second wife to a disgusting old man." She began to harness a handsome looking horse up to the wagon who snorted indignantly.

The girl smiled at Kurenai, "Thank you for understanding."

A slim brunette girl about Hinata's age suddenly appeared, yawning and rubbing at her eyes sleepily. "You called for me Kurenai?" The girl stretched languidly, waves of brown curls cascading down to the small of her back.

"Tenten, I want you to hide her trail. You're both about the same size so take her shoes and create a false trail leading southwards towards the forest," instructed Kurenai. "Meet us at the bottom of the valley pass."

Tenten nodded, her large almond shaped brown eyes now alert. "What direction did you come from?" she asked Hinata as she began to take off her shoes.

Hinata carefully removed her shoes, hoping anxiously that she would get them back. They were soft leather boots of the highest quality and she was very fond of them. "F-from the Hyuuga estate," she murmured.

Both Tenten and Kurenai stiffened. Tenten turned towards the older woman with narrowed eyes, "Are you sure it's a good idea to take her with us? If she's one of the nobles we will be lucky to only be thrown in jail if we get caught."

Kurenai rubbed her temples tiredly, "Create more false trails then, we are going to need as much of a head start as we can get. Take Shino with you and if we're not at the valley in a week's time, I want you to get in touch with the Suna troupe and stay with them until you hear directly from me or the Legendary Sucker."

Tenten nodded, looking serious. She took Hinata's boots and walked over to a tall silent boy wearing a high collared cloak which hid the bottom half of his face and spoke with him quietly. They both disappeared into the night. Kurenai smiled at the worried blue haired girl reassuringly, "Don't worry, they'll send the Hyuuga men on a wild goose chase. You'll be safe with us." The older woman swung up onto the driving seat of the wagon and helped Hinata up. "You'd better stay inside the wagon until we reach the next town and catch up on your sleep."

Hinata nodded and climbed inside the gypsy wagon. There were many trinkets and surprisingly, quite a collection of weapons, inside. There was also a bedroll and a pile of colourful clothes and shawls she could curl up on. She hadn't realised how exhausted she was until she sank deep into sleep into the colourful pile.

* * *

Tenten and Shino both sat hidden from sight in the tree branches. It had been a week since that quiet blue haired girl had come to their troupe asking for passage. She and Shino had created many false trails and after that they had run through the forest, taking the shortcuts that the gypsy wagons had no hope of passing through. Shino, on many occasions had carried her on his back as they ran through the forest so as to leave no trail to follow. The silent black haired boy was one of the best trackers she knew and he could run through a forest, just after the rain, and leave no trail for even the best hunters or trackers to follow. The only way they could be followed was by smell but they had crossed quite a few rivers and streams so it was near impossible even for the best dogs, including Akamaru.

The petite brunette scratched at an insect bite irritably as they waited for their troupe to meet them at the designated meeting place. Both she and Shino were looking forward to a good night's rest and a good meal. They had been living off the land for a week. She turned to her companion who was currently intrigued by a large beetle crawling on the branch towards him. "Do you think they'll fall for it?"

He nodded, still fascinated by the beetle.

Tenten inspected a very muddy pair of boots that belonged to the mysterious girl who sought refuge with their troupe. "I wonder if she'll want her boots back, I wouldn't mind keeping them they are very well made even though they were a little big for me," she mused out loud.

Her companion didn't answer.

Tenten sighed and stretched out along the branch so that she was lying on her belly. She fingered a knife that she had had hidden on her person idly. Shino wasn't much of a conversationalist and frankly, she was bored out of her mind. A dog barked excitedly and Tenten looked down and grinned. Akamaru was jumping up at their tree wagging his tail furiously, Kiba came running up panting. He looked up and waved, "Oh great you guys made it!"

Tenten and Shino both jumped down nimbly. They could hear the troupe approaching; the bells on the wagons tinkered away. "Did anyone follow you?" asked Shino quietly as they waited for the wagons to catch up. It was nearing sunset, they would set up camp here.

Kiba shook his head, "There were a few people doing random checks but the full scale search was in the wrong direction." He grinned, "All the Hyuugas were on horseback with dogs. It looked like they were all going on some kind of foxhunt. They were headed the wrong way as well."

Shino smirked with satisfaction. Three brightly coloured gypsy wagons rounded the bend of the road. Two gypsies dressed in every bright shade of green possible and with identical bowl haircuts waved excitedly at them. Tenten waved back cheerfully at Gai and Lee.

The gypsies set up camp quickly and efficiently as it was a familiar routine. Hinata stood to the side poking her fingers together not quite knowing what to do since everyone else seemed to know what they were doing. Tenten noticed her striking pale eyes properly for the first time. She had seen them before in that devastatingly handsome soldier she had met in the capital city a few months ago but his were much harder. Tenten noticed the shy girl's nervousness and felt a bit sorry for her. "Hinata?"

The white eyed girl turned, startled, "Y-yes?"

"Do you want to help me find some firewood for the fire so we can cook?"

Hinata nodded and gave Tenten a small shy smile. They wandered into the forest and began collecting wood. Hinata felt guilty, all the gypsies had been kind to her but she felt so useless. She also missed her family, especially her little sister Hanabi. Tenten hummed away cheerfully as they headed back towards the camp. Hinata ate mechanically as she had for the past week, refusing to meet the curious glances of the other gypsies and quickly excused herself to sleep when she had finished. As she lay inside the wagon which she now shared with Kurenai and Tenten, she listened to the music outside as the gypsies sang around the dying campfire. She had always assumed that they would sing merry songs you could dance to but often she heard them sing some of the saddest but beautiful songs.

Hinata closed her eyes and wandered if she would ever see her family again. But that was the price she would have to pay for her selfish acts.


	2. Meetings of a sort

This is a filler chapter, so excuse the badness of it :P Next chapter should be more action packed.

Disclaimer: Short and sweet. I do not own Naruto.

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Neji stared up at the ceiling as he lay stretched out on his narrow bed and thought sourly of the message his uncle had sent him that afternoon. His usually compliant cousin Hinata had run away, not wanting the arranged marriage to Uchiha Itachi that would have been somewhat advantageous for the Hyuuga House. He didn't know the head of the Uchiha clan personally but he had known his younger brother Sasuke who disappeared suspiciously after the Uchiha massacre. There were rumours that it had been Sasuke's doing but Neji doubted it. Sasuke had been a moody and silent fellow soldier but he still had a strong sense of honour.

His room mate bounded into their room excitedly, "Lieutenant Hyuuga! It's time for dinner! Gosh, I hope it's ramen, I love ramen."

Neji glared at his blonde blue eyed comrade, Naruto, and sat up silently and pulled on his boots. The news about his cousin still troubled him. She could be anywhere by now; lying dying in a ditch, forced to sell her body in a brothel or kidnapped by opportunistic outlaws.

The blonde soldier continued yammering away about the upcoming summer festival and Neji tried to ignore him. How he had become stuck with the loudmouth as a room mate was because fate mocked him. Soldiers of differing ranks didn't usually room together but there had been a shortage of beds so Neji had been included in the room with three other soldiers of lower rank to him. It just seemed that he had drawn the short straw in life; his parents had died leaving him an orphan at an early age, his father being the younger twin brother did not inherit any Hyuuga property so becoming a soldier in the army had become Neji's only option to support himself independently. He didn't want to be bound to his uncle or Hinata, once she becomes the head of the Hyuuga House, for the rest of his life.

"-and the gypsies should be back in town soon for the festival. He told me that they would be meeting up with another troupe so they could put on a more impressive show this time around."

Naruto and Neji strode into the mess room where the soldiers ate their meals. Captain Kakashi approached them, reading a book of questionable taste. His eye flickered towards them both, "Yo."

"Captain Kakashi! How are you? I barely see you now I'm under the Hyuuga's division!" exclaimed Naruto.

Kakashi's good eye crinkled as he smiled at the boisterous young man, "well we can catch up over dinner, I think it's your favourite tonight."

Naruto's eyes gleamed manically and he rushed to join the slowly growing queue of soldiers lining up for food. The one-eyed captain with spiky prematurely silver hair turned to Neji, "I need to discuss some security issues with you for the upcoming Summer festival."

Neji nodded curtly. There was a rogue group of bandits who had been causing trouble in the outer villages and cities. Lately they had been staying quiet but there was no knowing if and when they would strike again. Security was always an issue now that Governor Tsunade was in power. It was the first time a woman had been in such a high position of power and there were extreme conservatives out there who wished to be rid of her. He had a feeling that there would be another attempt on Governor Tsunade's life soon while the chaos of the summer festival served as a distraction.

Kakashi pulled a rather crumpled piece of paper out of his back pocket and handed it to Neji. "We have information that there is a highly organised group of criminals who have worked with the bandits who have been causing so much trouble. These criminals are highly secretive and work in pairs according to our source."

"How is this relevant to the Summer Festival preparations?"

"Apparently they have paid the bandits to assassinate Tsunade."

Neji frowned, "Is that all you have for me?"

"Yes, have your men keep an eye out for any suspicious travellers and have more out of uniform patrols around the city once the festival starts to help gather any information."

"Hn."

"Ah, Captain Asuma is calling me. I think Naruto is going to eat your dinner soon if you don't eat it first," observed Kakashi pleasantly.

Neji glared at his blonde room mate and strode over to his seat and grabbed his food just as Naruto was about to sample some of his soup. "Don't make me give you extra chores and guard duties for the entire Summer Festival," he growled threateningly.

Naruto's spoon froze in midair and meekly retreated back to his own bowl.

* * *

Second-lieutenant Nara glowered at the slight, furious young gypsy woman yelling at him. He looked up at the clouds enviously. Troublesome woman. A fortnight ago, Lieutenant Hyuuga had told them to increase security for the festival and to keep a close eye on any suspicious characters entering the city. The amount of weapons this girl had turned up with was enough to decimate an army squadron. The other members of her troupe were looking on with a mixture of worried and amused expressions.

Finally the dark haired, red-eyed woman who appeared to be the leader of the troupe waved the other two caravans on. They had passed the security check, having nothing dangerous inside. Only the red-eyed woman, the angry brunette girl and the older man of the two with identical bowl haircuts remained behind to continue abusing him. Shikamaru was getting tired of having to explain the same thing to them over and over again. He finally beckoned his chubby best friend over, "Go get the Lieutenant."

Chouji nodded and headed off towards the barracks.

"Look, I cannot let you into the city with all those weapons. We have to increase security to ensure the Summer Festival runs smoothly," he told the brunette girl whose hair had been tied back into 2 long sensible braids.

"I'm not a danger to the city! The weapons are all necessary for my act. They are my livelihood! How am I supposed to feed and clothe myself if you will not let me perform my act?" she yelled back at him.

"Use your other skills then, I thought you gypsies were meant to be a multi-talented lot," he growled in return.

"Tenten, you can participate in our acrobatic act if you want," suggested her companion, green clad man, helpfully.

"I am not leaving my weapons with these people! They will probably try to pawn it off," she retorted, eyes flashing angrily.

* * *

Chouji knocked on the door and walked into his quarters. He shared the quarters with Shikamaru, Naruto and Neji. They were all fairly easy to get along with except for Naruto, who had far too much energy but Neji was usually able to keep him in check. "Lieutenant Hyuuga?" he asked, poking his head around the door to find Neji sleeping in his bed. Chouji sighed and gently shook the long dark haired man who woke up almost instantly.

Neji glared at him, "What is it?" He was testier than usual due to the sleep deprivation he was suffering from. He had only just come off the night shift a few hours earlier.

"A gypsy is trying to bring is a large amount of weapons and is claiming that they are all for her act."

Neji's glare intensified, "Can't Shikamaru deal with a simple matter?"

"She's very stubborn sir," replied Chouji slightly nervously. The Lieutenant was in a very foul mood today.

Neji grabbed his cloak and made his way to the city gates at a swift pace. Chouji followed him hurriedly. The pale eyed man was exhausted; he had even fallen asleep in his uniform, being too tired to take it off. The imposing city gates loomed in front of them and the two soldiers approached the group of gypsies arguing with Shikamaru.

"About time," muttered the lazy man under his breathe when he saw Neji finally arrive.

"What seems to be the problem here?" snapped the Lieutenant glaring at the gypsies. The older man and woman smiled at him apologetically whilst the brunette girl glared back at him. He frowned, he recognised her from another town he was previously posted at. She had been arguing furiously with a weapon smith in the markets over the price of a dagger she wanted to buy and had almost come to blows with the man who just happened to be twice her size. Neji had finally bought her the dagger to end the futile argument. It seemed that she finally remembered him as recognition dawned upon her features.

"She," Shikamaru jerked his thumb at the brunette gypsy girl, "wants to bring all these into the city." He gestured to the caravan which was full of a large array of weapons.

Neji raised an eyebrow as he inspected the impressive amount of weapons in the caravan. They were all different types of weapons as well. "No, they are not allowed."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously, "then I am going to stay right here with them." She crossed her arms stubbornly to emphasise her point.

The red eyed woman frowned at her, "Don't be foolish, we cannot allow you to stay here by yourself."

"We need your youthfulness for our acts!" exclaimed her companion.

The gypsies began to argue amongst themselves and Neji scowled in annoyance at them. Shikamaru rolled his eyes as the older gypsies tried to reason with the younger girl and said to him in a low voice, "May I suggest that you allow her to bring in some weapons and we confiscate the rest and return them to her when it is time for her troupe to leave?"

Neji nodded grimly, he just wanted to collapse back into his bed. It was highly unlikely that she would be a danger to security. He approached the gypsies who stopped talking and turned to face him, "I'll let you bring in some weapons but the rest will be confiscated until your troupe leaves the city, then they shall be returned to you."

The fiery girl studied him intently as she mulled over the offer. Her troupe leader finally pinched her arm, "Just take the daggers you need for your act Tenten, we can't stay here all day."

Tenten winced and nodded reluctantly. "But I am going to make a list of the weapons I leave with you and if I find a single one missing I will make your life a living hell," she added in a low threatening voice to the soldiers.

"You've already made my life a living hell," muttered Shikamaru grumpily.

Tenten glared at him murderously. Sheesh, the lazy soldier thought, she could give Neji a run for his money.

* * *

Author's note: I'm very sorry about the lateness of this chapter, I've had heaps of assignments week after week literally. Also, I was thinking of tying in the little first meeting that Neji and Tenten had that I referred to very briefly in this chapter to the drabble series I'm writing "Ivory Box ...etc". I would have put it in here but I just felt the whole jumping back and forth in time would be a bit unwieldy. So let me know if you're interested in reading about Neji and Tenten's first meeting and I'll write it up but it'll be in that other story.

Don't forget to review!


	3. It's all in the cards

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor any of its characters!**

**Thank you all for reviewing my last 2 chapters, you guys rock. Sorry I'm being slack about replying to reviews and stuff, I've just got too much study to catch up on etc. Hope you like this chapter, I actually did research about what all the tarot cards meant... how nerdy of me P  
**

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"Don't worry about Tenten," said Kiba cheerfully. He had noticed Hinata looking rather worried whilst the other girl had been arguing with the soldiers at the gate. "She's an absolute nutter when it comes to her weapons, otherwise she is quite sane."

Hinata blushed and giggled softly, "I was just surprised at her reaction." She climbed down from the caravan and surveyed the bustle of activity around her. Everything was so colourful, compared to home. Their troupe was not the only one who had travelled to the city for the Summer Festival either. It was her first time in the city and she was surprised to find that there was such a large caravan green in the middle of all the crowded buildings, near the heart of the city. A young dark haired gypsy man from another troupe with dark bottomless eyes stared at her unblinkingly. Hinata quickly averted her eyes.

Kiba grinned at the pale eyed girl, not noticing the other gypsy. She was slowly coming out of her shell and she had had to be the sweetest, nicest girl he had ever met. "So the security check wasn't so nerve wracking was it? I told you that it would be fine."

She smiled shyly back at him, "It wasn't so bad." She had pretended to be asleep while the soldiers carried out the security checks on the caravan. Kurenai had told them that she was sick and sleeping so they had left her alone. At first she had been worried that her father would have sent out her description to all the major cities but Kurenai explained to her that there were a large number of wanted criminals at large that the city guards would be on the lookout for instead. The only description of her circulating would consist of her distinctive pale eyes so as long as she kept them closed or hidden, no one would know she was a Hyuuga.

"Gai and the rest are back!" exclaimed Lee excitedly. He bounded out of the caravan he had been sitting in and rushed to meet the three gypsies approaching them.

Kurenai looked grim and Tenten looked less annoyed compared to when she was at the checkpoint. Gai was grinning widely as he waved to them before embracing his protégé, Lee, tightly.

"Hinata," said Kurenai quietly before pulling her aside. "We saw a Hyuuga here in this city so you will have to be extra vigilant. Make sure you always keep the veil on whenever others are present, do you understand?"

Hinata's eyes widened and she nodded. There weren't many Hyuugas who lived away from the main house estates except for a few branch house members. Her favourite cousin was one of them but as far as she knew, he was currently stationed at one of the towns near the Suna border. Otherwise, none of the other Hyuugas who lived outside the main estate would know her face as they had all left before she was born.

"I will have to go deliver some messages now so stay here with Tenten, Kiba and Shino and help them set up camp," instructed Kurenai. Her red eyes fixed onto Tenten who approached them. The brunette girl was still holding one of the swords she had managed to bring into the city. Hinata smiled at the older girl hesitantly. Tenten grinned back at her then handed the sword to Kurenai. Kurenai fiddled with the hilt of the weapon and suddenly the pommel twisted off. The gypsy woman pulled out a small concealed scroll from inside the handle. Hinata stared at it with surprise, was that the real reason Tenten had been so possessive about her weapons? Kurenai gave her a sly smile and raised a finger to her lips. With her other hand, she tucked the scroll firmly into the bosom of her dress so that it was well hidden from view.

Kurenai called Gai and Lee over and handed them a small pile of scrolls each, keeping one for herself. Together they left the caravan green to deliver the messages they had been given. The other gypsies immediately began setting up camp and rubbing down the horses. Tenten and Hinata tended to the horses while the boys set up the colourfully striped awnings that attached to the side of the caravans.

* * *

Tenten and Hinata sat next to the campfire that was now cooking their dinner. Kurenai and Gai still had not returned from their errands. The other gypsy boys were working on odd jobs nearby. Tenten shuffled the pack of tarot cards and flipped open one card, "So Hinata, this is the card is The Fool. This card represents you; it stands for renewal, new beginnings and possibilities. Pretty accurate isn't it." She winked at the quiet pale girl who smiled shyly back at her and opened the next card. "Ah the Two of Swords…a clash of ideas or words?"

Hinata gave Tenten a confused look. "I haven't been clashing with anyone…"

Tenten chuckled, "This can also represent a temporary compromise. Maybe the cards aren't so accurate after all. Now the next card is a Page of Cups and since you are childless, you are about to receive a message of love, either from family or a romantic interest?"

Hinata drooped, "I'm never going to be able to remember what all the cards stand for."

The brunette girl laughed, "Don't worry, I don't remember the meaning of every card, I just make it up if I can't remember whenever I have to give fortune readings."

"I'm going to be a terrible Fortune teller," murmured Hinata dejectedly. She was to be the Fortune teller who gave readings to individual spectators wherever their troupe performed. Gypsies did not tolerate scroungers travelling with them, so she was obliged to partake in everyday tasks. Kurenai had asked her to tell fortunes to help earn money and Hinata, although not keen on the idea, could not possibly say no to the woman after all that had been done for her.

"Hinata, just look at the symbols on the cards for clues on what they might mean, then just make it up. Whoever you're doing the reading for is not going to know what they mean, if they could read tarot cards they would read it themselves. What I do is I study the person and try to guess what kind of person they are and then I just tell them something they want to hear," Tenten confided. "The trick is to be as vague as possible. Now practice reading my fortune, then you can go practice on the boys."

Hinata nodded resignedly and took the pack of cards from the petite gypsy and shuffled it. She flipped open the first card. It was The Lovers. "You are going to meet a man you will fall deeply in love with," she said uncertainly.

Tenten snorted, "I bet he's tall dark and mysterious too."

The blue haired girl flipped open the next card, "The Ace of Cups…what does it mean again?"

"A new love," replied Tenten starting to look worried.

Hinata turned the last card over, "The Knight of Cups, he is also the knight of love…Tenten is something wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing," replied Tenten quickly. She didn't like this fortune at all, she didn't want romance. Romance was too much trouble, she had seen the outcome of Lee's attempts at wooing that young pink haired healer. Poor Lee had been depressed for a few weeks, which was the longest she had ever seen him down. "Time to practice on the boys now."

The brunette girl beckoned Kiba over who had been throwing curious glances their way every so often. She had a feeling that Kiba was starting to develop feelings for the gentle runaway who had joined their troupe. He was always looking out for Hinata and following her around. Even Akamaru adored her. The spiky haired gypsy boy came over with his dog shadowing him closely, tail wagging.

Kiba sat himself across from Hinata and grinned at her. She flushed, pushed her long hair out of her face and began reading his cards for him. Tenten listened to Hinata's soothing murmurs and watched both of them curiously. Kiba was much more interested in the pale girl, rather than the cards being read to him. Her dark blue hair fell across her face again and she pushed it back as she flipped open the second card. "The Three of Swords, your heart will be pierced."

"It also relates to love triangles," added Tenten. "I'm guessing between you Kiba, Akamaru and Akamaru's girlfriend."

Hinata giggled softly.

Kiba stuck his tongue out at Tenten, "It also means that true feelings will be revealed so everyone will know where they stand, genius."

Tenten smirked, "That's what I am."

Kiba rolled his eyes and turned back to Hinata, muttering "…and modest too."

"We'll read Lee's fortune next then we'll try to convince Shino to let you practise on him," said Tenten briskly, ignoring Kiba's comment.

* * *

Hinata peeked outside from the small Fortune teller's tent she had been stationed at for the past week and watched the gypsies go through their paces. Gai and Lee had an impressive acrobatics act. Kiba and Akamaru had an entertaining comedy routine and Shino and Kurenai handled the music. Tenten, with her hair pulled into two neat buns, was next, and she was going to do a sword dance. Hinata had watched the other girl perform for the past few days, Tenten was very skilled and her movements were fluid and beautiful to watch. She wished she could move like that.

Not all gypsy troupes performed shows for the public. Some sold craft and other wares they had created themselves, others traded exotic items they acquired in different provinces and countries. She had also seen two other gypsy troupes perform. One was a small troupe from Suna. One young man did a puppet show; his sister did a fan dance and the youngest brother and the troupe leader played the music accompaniment. Her troupe, were quite friendly with the Suna troupe. They had travelled together before and had even combined their acts for some of the performances for the Festival.

The other troupe was larger. There was a set of Siamese twins, a strong man, a sword swallower, an archer, a flautist, a fire-twirler and the troupe leader who kept snakes. Most other troupes kept away from them and they kept to themselves. They were a newly formed troupe and nobody seemed to know anything about them. The troupe members made her feel uneasy. Even Gai and Lee who were friendly with every other gypsy avoided them. The fire-twirler especially made her nervous; she had caught him studying her with interest on more than one occasion.

Not many people had approached her for a tarot card reading during the Summer Festival. The veil tickled her face and Hinata wished that she could take it off. Sighing, she tugged at her dark red dress and adjusted the bright blue and purple scarf around her waist. Suddenly a blonde soldier with short spiky hair bounded up to her. "Will you read me my fortune? I've never had my fortune told before!" he exclaimed excitedly.

Hinata nodded quickly, feeling her stomach beginning to churn. She was finally going to have to put what she had learnt to the test. Tenten and Kurenai had made her practise reading the tarot cards every night since they arrived in the city until she had finally learnt what every card meant. The blonde soldier followed her into the tent and they both sat themselves on the large cushions on the floor, facing each other. She peered at him through her veil, he was roguishly handsome in the same way that Kiba was. His eyes were a stunning shade of deep cerulean blue and his skin was tanned.

"I'm Naruto," he introduced himself cheerfully.

Hinata opened her mouth to give him her name but managed to stop herself in time, she was not supposed to make it easier for her family to find her! Instead she merely nodded as mysteriously as she could and took out the tarot cards. Naruto's smile fell slightly when she didn't introduce herself. Feeling guilty, she tried to make some small talk, "It looks like it might rain tomorrow."

He perked up immediately, "Is that a prediction?"

Unsure of how she should react, Hinata nodded. She opened the first card for him, Strength. "Strength, the card of courage and energy, although things may seem out of control at times you must not give up, have faith in yourself."

Naruto stared intently at the card, deep in thought, "I must not give up on Sasuke then…"

Hinata frowned; she had heard of that name, he was the brother of the man she was supposed to marry, "Sasuke Uchiha?"

His eyes locked onto her with surprise and awe, "Wow, you're very accurate!"

Hinata relaxed slightly, this might be easier than she thought. "He is a dear friend of yours?"

The blonde soldier nodded vigorously, "He deserted the army after the whole scandal with his clan. They say that he murdered his entire clan but I don't believe it, I cannot believe it," he clenched his fists. "Sasuke is good and honourable and he would never do something as terrible as that. Someone must have framed him. I've been trying to find out where he has gone for months."

She observed the young man sympathetically as he struggled to control his emotions. It was ironic though, she was running from an Uchiha and he was searching for one. "You will find him one day," murmured Hinata as soothingly as she could. She opened the second card, "Two of wands, you will reach a crossroads where you will have to make an important choice."

Naruto nodded earnestly. Hinata took a deep breath and flipped open the last card. "The Knight of Wands, you will be setting off on an exciting trip sometime soon."

Big blue eyes fixed on hers excitedly, "Do you know where to?"

Hinata smiled and said as vaguely as she could, "Somewhere away from here."

"You're the real deal; wait till I tell the others! Especially Neji, he's always going on about fate, you should read his fortune."

She stiffened, Neji? As in her cousin Neji? "Are you talking about Lieutenant Hyuuga with pale eyes and long dark hair?" she gasped.

"Wow that's him exactly, you ARE really good!" exclaimed Naruto as he jumped to his feet and bounded out of the tent. Hinata could only gape at him as he disappeared into the crowd to find her cousin who would be sure to drag her home once he found her.

* * *

**A/N: You all are going to kill me for leaving it at a cliffhanger aren't you? P I hope none of the characters seem too out of character. I know this is abit Hinata-centric at the moment... but I think in future chapters I will be focussing on Tenten and Neji... Please review!**


	4. Confrontations

**Ahhh the plot thickens... chapter is dodgy I can't write action. It is something I will have to work on. I'm also trying to improve on my writing so please feel free to point out ways I can improve but yes enjoy and make my exam revision week slightly more enjoyable by R&R-ing ;)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, if I did I would be rich and wouldn't have to study.**

* * *

Recap

"_You're the real deal; wait till I tell the others! Especially Neji, he's always going on about fate, you should read his fortune."_

_She stiffened, Neji? As in her cousin Neji? "Are you talking about Lieutenant Hyuuga with pale eyes and long dark hair?" she gasped._

"_Wow that's him exactly, you ARE really good!" exclaimed Naruto as he jumped to his feet and bounded out of the tent. Hinata could only gape at him as he disappeared into the crowd to find her cousin who would be sure to drag her home once he found her._

* * *

Hinata stood up quickly, wringing her hands in panic. She had to get out of here before Naruto brought her cousin back! Neji would recognise her for sure! Hitching up her long skirts slightly, she darted out of the tent and made her way into the crowd. Perhaps she could lose herself in the jostling throng of people.

* * *

Neji stood stiffly with his arms crossed watching the show the gypsies were putting on. It was his and Naruto's day off today and Naruto had decided to drag him to watch the gypsies' performance when Neji wanted to catch up on his sleep instead. It irked him that it was the same troupe who had attempted to bring in all those weapons into the city but he had to admit, they were excellent at what they did. 

That gypsy girl, Tenten, who had caused such a fuss over her weapons, was performing a sword dance. She moved like water, flowing from one stance to the next. Her colourful scarves fluttered gently in the breeze as her twin swords sang. The guitarist began to pick the notes more urgently signalling that she was about to do something spectacular.

With his impeccable timing, Naruto grabbed his shoulders, "Hey Neji, you've got to check out the Fortune Teller I found. She's so accurate; maybe she could tell your future!"

Neji shrugged him off irritably, "Don't be ridiculous. She's just good at making guesses and conning you."

"No I'm serious, when she was telling my fortune she knew who Sasuke and you were without me telling her anything about either of you," the blonde soldier continued, blue eyes fervent with excitement. "She even knew your name and what you looked like!"

Neji frowned, that was quite uncanny. Maybe she was truly able to tell fortunes but he highly doubted it. It would be interesting to see how this con-woman operated. "Fine, let's see her."

* * *

As Tenten pirouetted and twisted her body she saw the Hyuuga lieutenant out of the corner of her eye in the crowd watching her intently. She almost lost her balance but managed to catch herself in time and continued dancing. When she glanced over at where the soldier had been standing, watching, he had disappeared. Tenten had a sinking feeling in her gut, she needed to reach Hinata fast to make sure she was safe but the music still played and she could not stop in the middle of a performance.

* * *

The two soldiers wove their way through the crowd. "Hey," exclaimed Naruto, "She's over there." He pointed at a veiled figure in the crowd walking away from them. Naruto ran after her, "Miss Fortune Teller! Where are you going?" The veiled gypsy continued to walk away, her pace quickening. Neji's eyes narrowed, that was slightly suspicious, and why would she be avoiding them? 

The blonde soldier finally caught up and stood in front of her with a wide innocent grin, "Where are you going? I found my Lieutenant; you can read his fortune now."

The veiled woman turned around and twisted the end of the colourful scarf tied around her waist nervously. "I need some fresh air, wait for me in the tent and I'll be back soon," she whispered.

"I would like my fortune read. Now. Please." Neji eyed her steadily, her voice was very familiar and the habit of fidgeting with her hands was awfully like Hinata's. She had the same slim build and was around the same height as well. With his suspicions raised, he wanted to make sure that this woman was his missing cousin before acting accordingly.

Hinata bowed her head and began making her way back towards the tent. There was no escaping her cousin at this moment. If she resisted, he would most likely arrest her and discover who she really was. As she walked past the other troupe members performing she stared at them hard, slowing her pace slightly, hoping that one of them would see her silent plea for help. Unfortunately, nobody seemed to notice. She would have to try to convince Neji that she was somebody else completely.

She ducked her head as she entered the small tent and motioned the two soldiers to sit on the cushions on the floor. Both sat in front of the entrance facing her and blocking off any chance of escape. Neji's expression was calm but alert whereas Naruto's was full of anticipation as they watched Hinata take out the tarot cards and shuffle them. She nearly dropped them in the process.

Taking a deep breath she turned the first card over. Her hands shook; she hoped that they didn't notice. "The Lovers," she whispered, "there will be a woman who comes into your life who you'll fall deeply in love with."

Naruto began sniggering and elbowed Neji in the ribs. "I wonder who the unlucky girl will be."

Neji frowned and pressed his lips together tightly. "Naruto, do you want night shifts for the rest of the summer?" he snapped.

With that, the blonde soldier quickly became sober. "Fortune teller, why are you whispering?" he suddenly asked.

"I-I'm not feeling well, I need a drink," whispered Hinata hoping she would be able to escape from the stifling tent, beginning to stand.

"Sit. The last think you want to do is tire yourself out. Naruto, go get a drink for her," commanded Neji sternly.

"I-it's fine, I can get it myself," protested Hinata.

"Sit down, I insist," replied Neji coldly.

Hinata sat back down on the cushion miserably and poked her fingers together. Naruto glanced at the both of them curiously, wondering what was going on before leaving the tent to find a drink stall.

* * *

Tenten saw two soldiers follow Hinata into the tent and one of them was the Hyuuga lieutenant. She cursed inwardly as she finished up her sword dance as fast as she could. The music finally ended and she bowed briefly to the audience before running towards the tent. Gai who was passing around baskets to collect money from the audience gave her a questioning look; she normally stayed around to help collect money whilst Kiba and Akamaru performed their routine. 'Trouble, Hyuuga,' she mouthed at the acrobat before pushing her way through the crowd to reach the tent. She had to get Hinata away before the Lieutenant discovered her true identity and arrested them all.

* * *

"The Two of Swords," mumbled Hinata as she turned over the next card. She was about to explain the meaning of the card when she was interrupted by Tenten bursting into the tent. 

"Oh good, you're still here, we need you for the next act," said Tenten with a fake smile plastered onto her face. She moved to Hinata's side and offered a hand to help her stand.

"Excuse me, I was having my fortune read," said Neji frostily. "I would appreciate it if I got my moneys worth and have her finish the reading."

"I can finish up the reading here," replied Tenten smoothly.

He shook his head, "It would not be the same if it wasn't Hinata." With that, he'd reached over swiftly and snatched away her veil.

Hinata gasped and jumped behind the brunette gypsy girl who was gripping her hand rather tightly. Tenten still had her twin swords from her act in the sheaths strapped to her back and she drew them now. She pointed one sword at his throat and the other at where his hand crept towards his own sword hanging at his hip. "Get away from us," she hissed as she slowly inched their way around him towards the entrance of the tent so that they could make their escape. Hinata followed her closely behind, frightened that Tenten and Neji could begin a duel. She didn't want either one to get hurt and she didn't think Tenten could defeat Neji either. Her cousin was a very skilled fighter, excelling in hand to hand combat, but still a formidable swordsman.

Hinata didn't want to return home, her father would be furious and then she would be forced to marry that cold frightening man who would only use her body to produce some heirs. Her cousin still remained, calmly watching them with his hand on the hilt of his sword, his pale eyes coolly analysing them.

"Get ready to run," said Tenten very quietly to Hinata. It would have been handy to know who she was up against but it was easier to hold the soldier back in the small space of the tent. She just wasn't sure what she was going to do once the other soldier she had seen with Hinata and the Lieutenant returned, and with reinforcements.

Neji suddenly leapt up, drawing his sword as he did so, he couldn't give his cousin the opportunity to escape even if it meant having to hurt a woman. Metal crashed against metal as the small gypsy girl met his attack with her two swords. She was a lot stronger than she looked as she was able to match the force of his attack.

The noble girl took in a sharp intake of breath and was frozen on the spot, watching them fight, until Tenten yelled at her to run. The Lieutenant was strong and she wouldn't be able to hold him back for long. Hinata picked up her long skirts, turned and ran blindly into the crowd pushing her way through frantically, without a particular destination in mind.

Neji glared at the petite gypsy girl before him, "Out of my way before I hurt you."

She grinned back at him, "What makes you think you'll hurt me? I could probably slice and dice you up with one arm tied behind my back."

"Stop stalling, Hinata has a duty to the Hyuuga House as the heiress. If you don't want to be tried and executed for the offence of kidnapping and brainwashing her, I suggest you let me bring Hinata home."

Her brown eyes widened in shock, Hinata was the Hyuuga heiress?

Seeing her expression, Neji smirked, "She never told you? No wonder, any sensible gypsy would not have allowed her to travel with their troupe."

Tenten's eyes narrowed, Hinata had quickly become a close friend of hers once the initial shyness had been overcome. The blue haired girl had confided in her how unhappy she had been being forced into an arranged marriage with a man she barely knew simply for the sake of her father being able to gain a political advantage. She had privately thought to herself at that time that no girl should be bargained off like cattle and had vowed to help the runaway choose her own path in life. "Hinata has a right to make her own choices, if she doesn't want to marry Uchiha Itachi, she shouldn't have to," she snapped in reply, sliding and twisting her swords around his until she forced him to drop it. The gypsy girl then turned and sprinted away, sheathing her swords as she did, and disappeared into the crowd.

Neji cursed, picked up his sword and gave chase. It was a good thing that the gypsies dressed in such colourful bright clothing, as it was easier for him to find and follow both girls weaving their way through the crowds. Hinata in a deep red and Tenten in a brilliant sky blue stood out starkly amongst the more sombre colours of civilian clothing.

Tenten was able to finally catch up with Hinata in the crowd and had grabbed the noble girl's arm before dragging her into a quiet alleyway. "Here, take this," she panted as she thrust a dagger into Hinata's hands. "If we get separated, try to make your way to that inn we ate dinner at the other night, The Hungry Boar, and ask Ino to let you lie low there until we can come for you."

Hinata nodded frantically, her pale lavender eyes wide with fright. Closing her fingers over the dagger firmly, Tenten continued, "Try not to run unless you absolutely have to, it will only draw attention to yourself." Brown eyes studied the pale eyes worriedly and Tenten finally gave her a quick tight smile, "We'll get you out safe don't worry."

"He's my cousin Tenten; he only wants what's best for me. Maybe I should return home with him before I get you and the others into more trouble," replied Hinata despondently. What was she thinking running away in the first place? She had had no future destination or plan in mind when she had left her home and she still didn't have any idea what she wanted to do beyond staying with the troupe until her father gave up searching for her.

The other girl frowned briefly, "He wants what he thinks is best for you which isn't necessarily the best thing for you. Hinata, if you want to stop running we can go back but do you really want to marry that man?"

"No," she whispered, "I think he only wants to marry me so he can eventually control the Hyuuga House." Hinata had overheard Itachi once discuss with a man, whose face she never saw, plans to take over her House once he became married to her. She had tried to tell her father but he had reprimanded her for making up lies to try to get out of a marriage she didn't want.

Tenten took her hand and gave it a sympathetic squeeze before leading her out of the alleyway and down a narrow street. Glancing back often, the brunette girl checked to see if the Hyuuga Lieutenant had caught up with them yet. He was a fair distance away with a thick crowd blocking him from catching up but he could still see them clearly. Walking briskly, she took Hinata down a few winding streets leading towards the West Gate, the opposite direction from which they had arrived days ago. Looking over her shoulder quickly, she saw the soldier starting to run to catch up with them. "Run," she hissed in Hinata's ear before breaking into a lope. He was too close to them now; they wouldn't be able to lose him by outrunning him, especially with Hinata's heavy skirts slowing her down. She needed to give her extra time. "Keep running," Tenten told the noble girl as she turned around to face the Lieutenant once more.

Hinata glanced back at her friend, reluctant to leave her but the determined set in Tenten's shoulders told her that doing otherwise would be pointless. She raised her skirts higher and ran. Tenten turned around to face the angry Lieutenant as he approached rapidly and drew both swords. It was actually fun in a masochistic kind of way, pitting herself against an opponent she knew nothing about which gave her more of a challenge as compared to sparring with Gai, Lee, Kiba or Shino.

Neji drew his sword, "I don't want to hurt you. Step aside."

Shaking her head firmly, Tenten grinned at him, "What makes you think you'll hurt me?"

He scowled briefly; this girl was becoming a very annoying obstacle between him and his cousin. Neji sidestepped around her hoping that he would be able to make it past her without any fighting but she met him squarely and they began parrying in earnest.

* * *

All the buildings were starting to look the same and she had never had a fantastic sense of direction. Hinata hated to admit it but she was lost and out of breath. She slowed down and past a few people before turning into a deserted street. It was unfamiliar to her, she would have to ask some of those people for directions to the Hungry Boar and she turned around. But as she did, someone grabbed her from behind, placing his hand over her mouth and his other arm wrapped around her firmly preventing her from screaming or escaping. It took her a moment to realise that the hand over her mouth was pressing a damp cloth over her mouth and nose, which was strongly scented with some chemical she couldn't identify before everything went black.

* * *

**A/n: Yes another cliffhanger, please don't kill me especially as I won't be updating much, if at all, until AFTER exams which will finish in about 3 weeks time... I'm very very behind on study and I do actually want to do as well as I can. Feel free to wish me luck though, I'm going to need as much as I can get.**

**As always, thank you to my beautiful reviewers: Matahari, Luna Forest, Chibi Kitty, DysphoricxKunOichix, P-chan-S, Xwing.bladeX, Maiana, MaRa, sand tessen, herbblade and piixiiestiix for encouraging me to keep writing. **


	5. Intrigue

**My exams are finally over and I passed everything which was good I hope you like this chapter, I was writing it during my study breaks. I am very sorry I took ages to update. Once more, thank you to everybody who reviewed, you know who you are. I would normally list everyone but it's waaaay past my bedtime... **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto **

* * *

Opening her eyes blearily, Hinata tried to register where she was and how she got there. She was tied up and gagged in a travelling caravan of some sort as it was moving and she could feel every bump in the road. Hearing something hiss she twisted her head around in alarm and gave a muffled scream as she saw all the snakes in cages next to her. Hinata struggled briefly to push her trussed up body as far away from the snakes as possible in the small confined space. Panic was rising through her and she could feel a few hot tears beginning to fall down her face. Who had kidnapped her and where was she going? What were they going to do to her?

* * *

They both panted heavily, eyeing each other warily. Neji was initially reluctant to fight her. To hit a woman was against everything he had been taught, but he had overcome that after she had thrown a dagger at him in a blink of an eye pinning him to the wall. He had pulled the dagger out and treated her with much more caution after that. It had taken far too long to disarm her, the twin swords had been challenging enough but she seemed to have an endless stash of daggers and throwing stars hidden on her body. Now that they were both finally unarmed, he doubted he would be able to find Hinata after all this time wasted.

Having given Hinata more than enough time to make her escape, Tenten figured that it was probably time to maker her own as well. Besides, she didn't fancy her chances against him without any weapons. So Tenten suddenly turned and bolted.

Neji cursed and gave a brief chase before tackling her to the ground. Tenten screamed as she fell to the ground and she kicked him in the face, catching him under the jaw. His grip loosened momentarily and she struggled with him and was almost able to break out of his grip. He was too strong! She struggled frantically and twisted her head around and bit him hard on his arm. Yelping with surprise, Neji almost let go of her. He really didn't like this girl now.

Tenten desperately tried to twist out of his grip but he was now straddling her, trying to subdue her and he was using his heavier weight to his advantage. She yanked his hair hard and started screaming for help.

Neji hissed in pain and pried her hand off his hair. She fought dirty and he decided that he hated this girl and that he was going to melt all her precious weapons they were storing in the barracks for her. A shadow loomed over them.

"Neji! What are you doing to her?" exclaimed Naruto as he pulled Neji off the gypsy, automatically thinking the worst possible scenario after taking in the rather scandalous position they were both in.

She thanked her blonde rescuer by kneeing him in the crotch. Naruto doubled over groaning as she scrambled to run away. Unfortunately for Tenten, the Hyuuga was faster as he grabbed her and wrestled her to the ground, pinning her there by sitting on her. "Get off me you fat, stupid oath!" she yelled as she continued struggling, her voice muffled against the ground.

"Not until you bring me to Hinata," he snapped back at her.

"I can't breathe," she gasped under his weight.

"I hope you suffocate to death you ungrateful cow," wheezed Naruto, still doubled over.

"How did you find us by the way?" asked Neji, deciding to draw her torture out a little longer.

"I saw you chasing after her when I came back with a drink for the Fortune Teller and there was no one in the tent so I followed you both," Naruto replied, recovering slightly.

"Hello? Dying here!" squeaked Tenten from under Neji.

"Get some rope Naruto, we're bringing her back to the cells for assaulting two soldiers of the army."

Naruto hobbled away, giving the gypsy a dirty look. He came back shortly, after getting some rope from a nearby watch house near one of the city gates. Neji finally released her and Tenten took the opportunity to attempt another escape. However, Naruto was ready for that and held her down. She struggled futilely for a moment before biting his hand hard.

"Ow! She just bit me!" exclaimed the blonde soldier incredulously.

"She bit me too, you're not the only privileged one," Neji replied dryly. "Where was Hinata headed?" he asked her as he tied her arms then feet together tightly.

"Away from you, dimwit," she snapped back.

"I'll ask you one more time, where was my cousin headed?"

"I told you already, idiot," growled Tenten rolling her eyes.

Neji glared at her, studying her face, trying to find some weakness to make her crack. The only thing he could think of was forcing her to watch them melt her weapons. Finally, he gagged her before throwing her over his shoulders. He and Naruto returned to the barracks.

* * *

Tenten stared up sullenly as the rest of her troupe filed into the cell, their wrists shackled together. The door slammed behind them. "Nice one Tenten," drawled Kiba sarcastically. "We're all in jail now because of you."

Her eyes narrowed at him dangerously. She couldn't retaliate at this moment as she was bound, unable to move and gagged, after having been deemed too dangerous because of her biting tendencies.

"Where's Hinata?" asked Gai worriedly.

Tenten sighed and gave him an exasperated look. "Do I look like I can talk?" she tried to say but it came out as a series of undecipherable muffled grunts.

* * *

"Don't you think gagging her was a little extreme? It's been two days," Gai asked the blonde soldier standing guard outside the cell.

"She bit me," muttered Naruto in reply.

"Can you please take off her gag?" asked the attractive older woman. "It's hurting her."

"No way, she's going to bite me again."

Chouji who was also standing guard, sighed, "I'll do it." He unlocked the cell door, it screeched in protest as it opened and he stepped in. All the gypsies looked up at him wearily from where they were chained to their seats on the hard stone floor. He approached Tenten, "Please don't bite me I had nothing to do with all this."

She blinked at him without expression.

He carefully untied the strip of cloth, trying not to let his fingers linger too close to her teeth. She breathed a sigh of relief when the gag was finally removed. "Thank you," she said politely to the big gentle soldier. Chouji nodded and went back to his guard position.

"Are we all in jail now because you bit some soldiers?" asked Kurenai incredulously.

Tenten shook her head and cast a glance at the soldiers on guard outside their cell. "Didn't they tell you why? They discovered Hinata but I distracted them so she could get away."

The older woman pursed her lips together worriedly. "Where is she now?" she said in a low voice so the guards wouldn't hear.

"With Ino, if she managed to find her way there," whispered Tenten in reply.

Kiba frowned, he was worried about Hinata as well. She had had a sheltered upbringing; it was dangerous for her to be alone on the streets by herself. He tried to stop imagining all the worst case scenarios and went back to listening to the whispered conversation between Kurenai and Tenten. Akamaru whined quietly beside him. They had put a muzzle on the shaggy white dog.

"Around the time you and Hinata ran off, there was an attempt on the Governor's life so the streets would be a bit chaotic at the moment," continued Kurenai. "We won't be able to get in touch with Ino unless we do tell Lieutenant Hyuuga what he wants to know…"

"Gaara saw us being arrested, I'm sure his troupe will try to help us if they can," declared Lee.

"Somebody is coming," Shino interrupted in his deep monotone. The other gypsies stopped talking and looked warily at the cell door. The heavy wooden door screeched open once more. Lieutenant Hyuuga and a Captain entered the cell. The Captain smoked a cigar and blew a smoke ring.

"Kurenai, what are you doing here?" The tall, muscled man asked, sounding slightly surprised. He was handsome in a rugged, scruffy way.

Kurenai's eyes widened and she leant back against the wall, away from Asuma. "Why don't you ask your subordinate," she answered testily. Everyone including the gypsies the soldiers looked curiously between the two of them, wondering where they knew each other from and what the story was for the Kurenai's hostility. The red-eyed woman was always calm and polite to everyone.

The soldier took another drag from his cigar before turning to Neji whose face was smooth and expressionless as usual. "Neji, why is the love of my life sitting in a cell?"

The gypsy woman bristled, "You are certainly not the love of my life you lying, cheat-"

Gai elbowed her, "Stop insulting him, or do you want us to stay here forever?"

"Captain, I arrested them because they kidnapped my cousin but I thought you might like to talk to them since they stayed at the same gypsy green as the people involved in the assassination attempt," Neji quietly said.

"We know nothing about anything," protested Kiba.

"What do you know about the other performing troupe, the one that wasn't from Suna?" drawled Asuma, ignoring Kiba.

Gai's thick eyebrows furrowed together, "Is this the one with the Siamese twins?"

Asuma nodded and took another drag from his cigar.

"They formed recently, and we haven't travelled with them before," replied the acrobat. "I am sorry I cannot tell you more about them."

"They kept to themselves, I don't think the other gypsy troupes would know much more than us," Tenten added.

Lee nodded vigorously in agreement, next to her, "They were not very youthful!"

The Captain exhaled slowly before speaking, "Do you have any idea where they might have headed towards? They left the Capital city two days ago."

Gai shook his head, "Why are you so interested in them?"

"Because somebody tried to assassinate the Governor by giving her bag of money with a deadly adder inside it at one of her favourite gambling dens," he drawled before putting out his cigar.

Neji raised an eyebrow at his Captain; this type of information wasn't normally disclosed to ordinary citizens let alone prisoners in a cell. Asuma grinned at him with amusement when he caught the Hyuuga's expression. "Didn't you know that these gypsies work for our Governor and answer to her directly? They keep her informed of what's happening in the country. Kurenai is her chief spymaster and she's not able to do her job if you keep her in here."

The Lieutenant didn't know whether to be more horrified or shocked at this revelation. He did not want to receive disciplinary action from the Governor. He had heard stories, mostly from Naruto.

Kurenai's expression smoothed briefly, "Orochimaru, the troupe leader kept snakes." She glared at Asuma, "When will I see Tsunade-sama?"

He shrugged carelessly, "When she gets over her hangover I suppose. They don't call her the Legendary Sucker for nothing."

She narrowed her eyes in reply, "Don't be disrespectful. When will you let us out?"

"When you agree to marry me Kurenai," the bearded man replied with a smile. "Besides you kidnapped the heir to one of the most powerful noble Houses, not a very smart move on your part, since it is a crime punishable by execution if the Hyuuga are feeling particularly insulted."

"She came to us of her own free will. Where's the crime in that?" snapped Kurenai in reply. She crossed her legs, "And no I will not marry you, what you're asking of me is blackmail, and that is considered a crime."

"Hinata gave no indication to her father that she was opposed to the marriage and you have no proof that she came to you of her own free will," replied Neji quietly.

"So we're guilty until proven innocent? You know it's just a blame game because Hyuuga doesn't want to be perceived badly," Tenten shot back, her eyes flashing angrily.

Neji me her gaze coolly, her words were true and he hated having to always follow Hyuuga House orders especially when there was little basis for them. But it was his duty to do so especially when Uchiha Itachi was threatening to attack and destroy the Hyuuga House and marrying Hinata off to him was the only peaceful solution available. Besides he was genuinely worried about his cousin and wanted to make sure that she was safe. "Once, you tell me Hinata's whereabouts, I will try to ensure that you are not severely punished," he finally said. He cast his eyes over them, watching carefully for any reaction before leaving the cell with Asuma.

* * *

Tenten stuck her tongue out immaturely at the pale eyed Lieutenant who watched her stonily on her way out of the cells. She couldn't help it; she was feeling especially smug since Tsunade had ordered their release. It was victory to the common people and a blow to noble elitism. She saw the Captain Asuma blow a kiss to Kurenai who ignored him completely in response. Tenten was going to give it a few days before secretly getting in contact with Ino to check on Hinata. She smiled indulgently at the acrobats, as Gai and Lee happily cartwheeling around now that they were free.

Humming to herself as they left the cells behind them and made their way to the gypsy green, Tenten noticed the increase in number of guards patrolling the city. A blonde girl with dark blue eyes readying an irritable camel for travel looked up and waved at them once they arrived at their camp. "Welcome back! How was your stay in the cells?" Temari greeted them with a knowing smile.

"I thought that we would be tortured for information but we were treated surprisingly well!" declared Lee, giving her his best smile and thumbs up. His teeth glinted in the sunlight.

Temari's smile faltered slightly and looked beseechingly at her younger brother Gaara who approached them with their horses who had been left behind. Gaara noticed her expression and shrugged ever so slightly, his face emotionless as usual. "We fed, watered and walked your horses for you. The black appears to have a swollen knee, I wrapped it but you'd better take a look at him," he reported briskly, motioning to Kurenai's stallion.

"Thank you for looking after them, it's much appreciated," replied Kurenai before hurrying over to her horse to examine it. It whinnied in greeting to her before allowing her to inspect its leg.

"We will forever be in debt to you after everything your troupe has done for us, looking after your horses was the least we could do," said Baki solemnly as he suddenly appeared. "We will be travelling North now, hopefully we shall cross paths again." He bowed slightly to Kurenai and Gai and nodded to the rest of their troupe.

"Oh wait Tenten, before I forget, the fire-twirler from the other troupe wanted me to return this to you," interrupted Temari as she began searching through her pockets for an item. Her other brother, Kankurou, rolled his eyes as his older sister systematically began emptying out her pockets. She shot him a glare before smiling pleasantly at Tenten and handing her a dagger.

Tenten looked down at the dagger she was holding and suddenly felt the blood draining from her face; it was the same dagger that she had given to Hinata before sending her away to hide.

* * *

**A/N: ahahaha the plot thickens and once again, another cliffie. Forgive me, I am on holiday mode and am therefore, braindead.  
**

**I noticed there were quite a few mistakes in a few of my earlier chapters. But just to clear it up for you, in chapter 1 Tenten previously met Neji in a border city near Suna NOT in the capital city. You see I tend to try to plan my stories ahead in advance as I write and leave little clues in the chapter but then sometimes I decide to take the story in a different direction but then forget about the small details/clues I left behind. Also another thing, just to clear things up, Hinata is engaged to ITACHI because it was pointed out to me that i had made it sound like Hinata was engaged to Sauske. I apologise for not making myself clear. **

**Anyway I hope you enjoyed the new chapter and don't forget to R&R **


	6. Revelations

**Yeah sorry I took forever to update. Basically real life, being overseas for a while and a major writer's block tends to kill my writing mojo. To make up for it I wrote an extra longish chapter where nothing much happens... I'm fairly busy at the moment so my updates aren't going to be very regular but don't worry I love this story and I still have ideas for it so I won't be abandoning it. A big thank you to everyone who has been following this story especially to Yume-Shoosetuka who wrote me the most AWESOME review and it really made my day when I read it. **

**Yume-Shoosetuka, this chapter is dedicated to you!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto characters.**

* * *

"We're going to follow their trail, they had a good few days headstart on us but we can catch up with them," said Kurenai curtly as they began making plans.

"The rains have washed away their tracks and scent. It is impossible to pick it up in the city, we need to find out which gate they departed from to work out which direction they are travelling," pointed out Shino, pushing his hands into his pocket and slouching.

"We'll have to leave the wagons behind; they'll slow us down too much," Kurenai murmured. 

"We can store them at the Hungry Boar. We will have to ask the soldiers if their guards know which gate they left from," added Gai seriously, which was a change from his usual demeanour.

"No," the red-eyed woman said sharply. "I don't want them to know our business and interfering."

Kiba finally stopped his pacing, a haunted look on his face. "Akamaru and I will make a last sweep around the city to see if we can pick up her scent anywhere. I'll be back by sundown." He whistled the huge, white, shaggy dog over to him and set off.

Tenten whose face had been buried in her hands the entire time finally looked up, her face tear stained, "It's all my fault, I should never have left Hinata by herself!" She choked back a sob, the bandits could be hurting Hinata right this moment and it would be all her fault for failing to protect her friend. 

Lee and Gai quickly bounded towards her and enveloped her in a group hug. "Tenten," Gai's voice boomed, "It wasn't your fault, it was the best option you had at the time. Besides, what's done is done and feeling guilty about it is not going to help Hinata in any way at all." He patted her back comfortingly as she choked back a sob. 

"Gai's right Tenten, don't beat yourself up over it," Lee added. "We will find Hinata!" He then gave her his good guy pose.

"She's more valuable to them alive than dead anyway so it is unlikely they would hurt her," pointed out Shino suddenly. 

Tenten nodded and tried to pull herself together, "You're all right." Wallowing in self-pity wasn't going to save Hinata.

* * *

Somehow by some miracle, Akamaru had been able to pick up the bandit troupe's trail at the West Gate. The bandits were probably headed towards the coast since they had taken that route. The Army's control, and thus the Governor's control, of the coastal towns were tenuous so they would have to be careful there. All the gypsies were on horseback and were dressed in civilian clothing and in sombre colours for once. It was quite a change. They had also packed very lightly so they could travel fast and every single gypsy was well armed. Tenten pulled up the hood of her cloak to protect her head from the slight drizzle. The rains signalled the end of Summer and the beginning of the month of Rain. The bandits would be travelling at full speed as well if they wanted to leave any of the coastal towns by ship, or else the storms at the end of the month of Rain would force all ships from sailing out for another month. 

The little bay mare that Tenten rode tossed its head and snorted indignantly. It did not like being forced to travel in the middle of the night. They left through the West Gate in a single file. Kurenai had managed to pull a few strings so that they were allowed to pass unchallenged. Tenten surveyed the dark road before her, there was no telling what lay ahead of them.

* * *

"The Guard records show that the bandits left the capital through the West Gate. It looks like they are making a run for it, towards the coast. There is no information as to what their plan is but I am guessing that they are planning to make their getaway by ship so that they can lose anybody following them," Captain Asuma drawled. He blew a smoke ring out of his mouth and glanced around the room with half-lidded eyes. "Captain Kakashi and his dogs will be leading the search and Lieutenant Hyuuga will be assisting him in tracking. The rest of us will be providing back-up and manpower if we happen to come in contact with the targets. Any questions men?"

"No Captain," the four other soldiers of lower rank chorused dutifully.

"Ok good, now go get packed and ready your horses, we leave at the crack of dawn which is in a few hours. I will see you at the West Gate," boomed Asuma's deep voice.

Neji, Naruto, Shikamaru and Chouji saluted before filing out of the room. When it was just the two of them remaining in the room, Kakashi turned to Asuma and studied him thoughtfully with his good eye. "I heard something rather interesting recently," the silver-haired man said quietly.

"What?" Asuma replied gruffly. If this particular mission was long enough that he ended up running out of cigars, he might have to go cold turkey and he wasn't looking forward to it.

"I heard that the Governor's Chief Spymaster left the capital today by the West Gate a few hours ago."

Asuma's head jerked around sharply to stare at Kakashi, "Why would Kurenai be going after the bandits? It's too dangerous for her, it's not part of her job!"

"I was wondering the same thing actually and the only reason I can think of is Hyuuga Hinata."

Asuma furrowed his brows worriedly, "Should we tell Neji?"

"He may act rashly, I don't want to risk it especially with the targets at stake. They are extremely dangerous."

* * *

After inspecting the road closely, Shino finally stood up straight and dusted his hands before walking back to his horse. "They are travelling towards the coast and they are pushing hard. We might still be able to catch up to them before they reach the coast."

"Let's go then," Kiba growled impatiently. Akamaru paced agitatedly before the gypsy boy and his mount.

"It's too dark to see their trail anymore," Kurenai stated tiredly. "We might as well take a rest, the horses are tired."

"Akamaru can keep tracking them in the dark," the hot-blooded boy insisted.

"They were smart enough to leave false trails, do you really want to run off in the wrong direction in the dark?" asked Shino bluntly.

"This is rocky country, we could end up walking off a cliff in the dark," Gai added sternly. "We will all be refreshed in the morning and will be able to move faster after a rest Kiba."

Pursing his lips together tightly, Kiba scowled before dismounting. "Fine."

* * *

Kakashi rolled some loose dirt between his gloved fingers casually, "The gypsies are a day's travel ahead of us but the bandits are another four or five. It will be near impossible to catch up to them."

Asuma looked up at the night sky, "Well looks like it's time to turn in then men. Naruto you will be scouting tomorrow, just before dawn, I want you to pinpoint where exactly the gypsy troupe is. Don't let yourself be discovered."

"Yes sir!" Naruto saluted him.

Neji stared into the blackness that they were headed into. He was very worried for Hinata. The topography was hilly and rocky. It was going to be hard on their mounts. He wondered why the bandits hadn't abandoned their caravans yet, it would make their travel faster and easier. But in any case, it meant they had a greater chance of catching up to them.

* * *

It was early dawn as Naruto moved quietly through the forest. He made sure to stay high up on the slopes to ensure he had a good view of the terrain. The blonde haired soldier heard running water and he grinned, he needed to fill up his water bottle. He made his way towards it but then he paused in his tracks, he could hear some low voices and he crept forward stealthily to take a closer look. His face split into a wide grin as he saw that it was two good looking women about to take a dip in the river. Their backs were turned so he couldn't see their faces but they had bodies that were very easy on the eye indeed.

He had to stifle a giggle that threatened to erupt as he crept even closer for a better look. He would just claim that this was part of his scouting duties. The bush he was behind rustled slightly as he shifted to make himself more comfortable and he cursed silently, watching the women carefully to see if they had hurt him. It appeared that neither heard him as both were stripping and were only in their undergarments. One bent down to fold her clothes, and Naruto sighed happily. Suddenly knives came flying out of nowhere and the peeping tom yelled in surprise as he found himself pinned firmly against a tree. 

"So what have we got here?" asked an annoyed female voice. Both women were approaching him now and he could see their faces…it was those troublemaking gypsy women. He was in a lot of strife now.

The terrifying one called Tenten who attacked him previously was scowling at him as she twirled a knife in her hand. "What are you doing here?" she hissed at him. "Why are you spying on us and following us?" She pressed the point of the dagger against his throat.

"I-I-I s-stumbled upon you b-by accident I swear," Naruto managed to stammer out. He could feel the point slowly digging into his skin.

The red-eyed woman suddenly slammed him against the tree and lifted him off his feet by his collar, ripping his clothes pinned by the knives in the process. She was frighteningly strong. "Did Asuma send you after us?" she snapped.

Naruto shook his head vigorously now that the knife was safely away from his throat. "It was an accident, I was just sent to scout ahead." He quickly shut his mouth after realising that he had probably revealed too much information to the gypsies.

"Accident my arse, I know exactly how long you were watching us for you pervert!" Tenten snarled menacingly. "Do you know what we do to perverts like you? We cut off their b-"

"Tenten, that's enough. We'll take him back to camp with us and then we'll decide what to do with him there," Kurenai said sharply.

Naruto sweated nervously. He really hoped that his comrades would come after him soon. It was the first time he had really feared for his life.

* * *

"Where on earth can Naruto be?" Neji growled under his breath as he paced back and forth. Everyone was waiting for the blonde haired soldier to return so they could continue tracking the bandits. 

Kakashi and Asuma both had tight expressions on their face as they both discussed the next best course of action to take. The silver-haired Captain finally nodded, stood up and whistled his pack of highly trained dogs to him. He turned to the rest of the search party, "I am going to go ahead to ensure that we have a trail to follow. Neji you had better track down where Naruto has gone, he may be in trouble. Asuma, Shikamaru and Chouji, you'd better follow Neji in case he needs backup." Kakashi then disappeared into the woods.

Asuma swore and crushed his cigar butt under his boot. "Lead the way Neji, we can all kick Uzumaki's ass when we find him."

Neji cast his eyes over the ground swiftly looking for signs of Naruto's passage before leading the other soldiers briskly into a different part of the woods.

* * *

She had been given the task of keeping an eye on him while the other gypsies discussed what to do with Naruto. Her opinion had been that they just leave him tied to a tree until one of his friends found him. Gai had thought it was a little harsh since there were wolves in the area. He stared back at her and she wondered if his eyes were normally that wide or was he actually afraid of her… Tenten bared her teeth at him as she slowly and luxuriously began to sharpen her long knives. It made a wicked sound. 

His dark blue eyes widened even more and a muffled whimper managed to escape from his gag. Tenten, continued to smile menacingly at him as she sharpened her knives. This could turn out to be fun, playing mind games with the blonde soldier. Also, this was payback for when he left her bound and gagged when she was his prisoner. Lee would probably say that she might have been taking it a little bit far but that perverted soldier had been spying on her and Kurenai when they were about to take a bath and he needed to be taught a lesson anyway.

The hairs on the back of her neck raised, and she knew she was being watched. Careful to keep her stance casual, she glanced around casually around the woods surrounding them but she couldn't see anything out of place. Tenten unconsciously tightened her grip on the hilt of her knife. She would have to be extra careful.

* * *

Neji had made sure he was well hidden in the foliage of the bushes. He stared intently at the scene before the both of them, the little gypsy girl was completely terrorising Naruto. If it hadn't been a serious matter, it would have been amusing. He tried to come up with a plan but all he could think of was grabbing Naruto and running. One of Shikamaru's plans would come in handy. The pale eyed man noted the way her hand tightened around her knives as she glanced casually around. Had she sensed him? But it was probably best to make a retreat and let the other soldiers know that he had found Naruto. Neji disappeared silently back into the woods.

* * *

Hinata bowed her head listlessly. When her captors had finally revealed themselves to her, she had been shocked that it had been the new gypsy troupe who had kidnapped her. She had also become very afraid, from the way they acted and talked, she could tell they weren't gypsies after having spent enough time with her adopted troupe. Hinata was naïve, but she wasn't a fool. She suspected that these gypsies were criminals on the run, possibly even the bandits that had been terrorising the country recently. She wondered where they were taking her.

The fire-twirler approached her with a bowl of food. He had ended up being assigned the job of feeding her since the pink haired flautist had kicked up a fuss, cursing loudly at all the other males complaining that just because she was female didn't mean that they had the right to give her all the menial jobs. No one had introduced themselves to her or bothered talking to her at all but after observing them, she knew all their names except for the fire-twirler. She figured that he must have been new to the troupe since he was the youngest and he was given the worst jobs to do. The others also watched him more carefully, as if unsure whether to trust him or not. He spoke little and scowled a lot, ruining his handsome looks. He reminded her of somebody though, but she just couldn't place who. It had been frustrating her for a few days.

"Here," he said monotously, placing the bowl and spoon in front of her bound hands. 

She stared at it expressionlessly, she wasn't hungry. "I-I'm not hungry," she finally told him quietly.

Usually he had shrugged and mumbled that she could suit herself but today he frowned and pushed the bowl towards her. "You haven't been eating properly for days, you should eat or else you'll be ill," he growled gruffly at her.

Hinata shook her head stubbornly at him. The fire-twirler sighed and sat down next to her. He picked up a spoon of the questionable looking stew and half-heartedly waved it in front of her face, "It tastes better than it looks." 

She turned her face away from it and he swore quietly under his breath. If she didn't know better she would have thought he had said something like 'idiot noble brat'. Not usually the antagonising type, she had quietly tried to resist everything her captors tried to make her do so far. It wasn't that she was asking for trouble, but she certainly wasn't going to make it easy for them. 

The young man grimaced at her reaction and suddenly gripped her chin with one hand firmly and forced the spoon of food into her mouth and kept it closed while she struggled futilely until he was sure that she had swallowed. The Siamese twins walked past and sneered at the pair. "Sasuke, you'd make a good nurse maid." 

Dark eyes glared after him before turning back to the prisoner. Hinata gaped at him, finally realising who he had reminded her of. "Y-you're Uch-"

Sasuke clamped her mouth shut before she could say any more. "You say anything about who I am and I swear I will kill you," he hissed angrily. "Understand?"

Hinata nodded wordlessly, her pale pupiless eyes large with fear. The Uchiha slowly released her and thrust the bowl into her bound hands before standing up to leave. "Eat."

"W-why are you here?" she murmured quietly looking down at her hands.

"To save your arse from my brother."

* * *

**Feel free to review! I like reviews, constructive criticism is also welcome.**


	7. The Hunt begins

**I'm sorry I took forever to update, real life sucks and is keeping me very busy at the moment. I'm not particularly happy with this chapter but it'll have to do... I need to get the story moving to the more (hopefully) exciting future bits. I would also like to thank all my readers who patiently wait for my infrequent updates. I finally put in some nejiten moments yay! **

**Warning: there is a disturbing scene towards the end (well it's disturbing according to my standards) so please do not flame me, no real animals were harmed in writing of this fanfic...**

**Disclaimer: I own Naruto cos I paid Kishimoto for the rights... NOT ... I have no money and I doubt he'd sell them to me anyway...**

* * *

Shikamaru had known this was a bad idea and had told Captain Asuma so. He had been of the opinion that the best plan to rescue Naruto would be to grab the fool who had let himself get captured in a fast hitting open assault on the gypsy camp and make a strategic run for it. But no, the Captain wanted to stealthily infiltrate the gypsy camp, capture the gypsies and interrogate them for information about the bandits whilst rescuing Naruto from their clutches. It was that red-eyed woman's fault, if it hadn't been for her being so attractive to the Captain and making him so obsessed with her, he would have listened to him and this whole fiasco would not be happening right now. Second-lieutenant Nara sighed and held his hands up in resignation as one of the gypsies pressed a blade into his back. "Make a sound and I will kill you," one of the male gypsies intoned quietly. There was no way he would be able to warn the others as they had all split up to different points around the camp. It was in the middle of the night as well, and it was near impossible to see.

Shino quickly went to work, giving the lazy soldier a quick pat down, checking for hidden weapons before tying his arms behind him tightly and gagging him. He then pushed Shikamaru forward towards the camp, continuing to press the blade against his back, all the while, keeping a firm grip on him. They stopped at the edge of the camp under the cover of the trees and Shino gave a quiet owl hoot. There were four answering hoots. The gypsy man's grip tightened as he seemed to be waiting for something. Finally there was a fifth hoot and the soldier was pushed unceremoniously into the camp.

The lazy second-lieutenant grimaced as he saw all of his fellow soldiers being pushed into the camp by their gypsy captors. Captain Asuma's plan had backfired spectacularly. Lietenant Neji didn't look particularly pleased as the tiny gypsy girl who had caused them so much trouble had gotten the upper hand on him and she pushed him to the ground next to Naruto. The gypsies had known of their planned attack somehow, they had been well prepared and the 'sleeping forms' surrounding Naruto turned out to be logs covered with a blanket. Shikamaru wondered how they found out; none of the other soldiers could have possibly told them of their plans.

* * *

"My love, how did you manage to find out our plans?" asked Asuma. His question was directed to the red-eyed gypsy woman who was trying her best to ignore him as much as possible.

"Shino followed your Lieutenant after he came to spy on us," she replied casually. Kurenai smirked at the silent boy who always seemed to be hiding under the high collar of his cloak.

Neji turned to study the strange boy carefully. He knew that he himself was a good tracker and he should have been aware that someone had followed him. If that was the case, this young gypsy man could well be one of the best in the country. He would be an extremely valuable asset. It would also explain why none of Kakashi's dogs picked up his scent, he knew to hide it or to place himself downwind from them.

"So what are we going to do with them?" asked Tenten quietly. She seemed more subdued than usual.

Both Gai and Kurenai exchanged glances. They weren't entirely sure either. But before they could answer, the one eyed Captain made his own suggestion. "Why don't we all join forces, we're all after the bandits and we all know that they are a dangerous group. We would have a greater chance of success if we joined forces and worked together."

"Why Kakashi that is an excellent idea," Asuma drawled, he had a suspicious glint in his eye. Neji started wondering if Asuma had masterminded this plan to fail just so he could persuade his former lover to join forces with him. It was a smart move, they were obviously not just an ordinary troupe of entertaining gypsies.

"Absolutely not," snapped Kurenai.

"Why not, it is a good idea, I don't see the harm in it," replied Gai, crossing his arms across his chest.

"It would be wise to do so, we would be outnumbered and at a disadvantage otherwise," Shino suddenly said in his deep monotone. He was loyal to Kurenai almost to a fault and rarely questioned her. "I saw the bandits perform at the festival, they are very good at what they do," continued Shino ominously.

Kurenai sighed and studied the faces of the members of her troupe before finally nodding. Tenten and Lee began untying the soldiers. Neji rubbed his wrists, trying to get some circulation back. "So whose orders do we follow?" asked Shikamaru rather bluntly. He was never one to beat around the bush. It was too troublesome otherwise.

"Mine," said Kurenai firmly. She gave both Captains a challenging glare, daring them to argue with her. She was after all the Governor's Chief Spymaster and answered directly to Tsunade herself.

Kakashi merely nodded, he had known Kurenai for a while and respected her. She was a smart and resourceful woman. Pity Asuma couldn't hang onto her, she was the one dalliance of the chain-smoking soldier he had been fond of. Asuma didn't seem to mind following her orders much either since he didn't raise any objections.

However, the other soldiers weren't too pleased with the arrangement. "Troublesome," muttered Shikamaru. "They're gypsies, they aren't trained for these kind of missions."

All the gypsies overheard his comment and shot him dark looks. Lee marched up to him and crossed his arms, "I will challenge you to a fight and I shall show you that we gypsies are trained for these kind of missions!"

"Lee, he's not worth it, drop it," said Tenten sourly before either Gai or Kurenai could step in.

"Women shouldn't even be coming on dangerous missions like these," the lazy soldier added disparagingly.

The brunette girl's expression changed abruptly as she suddenly whipped out a knife and threw it at him. It landed right next to his ear, blade digging into the tree that he had been leaning against, and the Second-Lieutenant's eyes widened with shock. Her eyes were narrowed dangerously, "That was a warning, next time I will not miss." Neji couldn't help but smirk, Nara had obviously never seen her in action.

Asuma pulled the knife out with a great deal of effort, it was firmly entrenched. He whistled, impressed, "Kurenai, what do you do with these kids you pick up off the streets?"

The gypsy woman turned towards him, annoyance etched across her face. "You," she pointed at Asuma, "Shut up. We need to get moving, we've lost enough time already." She began barking orders, "Kiba, Shino and Kakashi, you three will be tracking. I want to divide us all up in groups in case there happens to be more than one trail to follow. There must be at least one soldier and one gypsy in the group. Kakashi, I want you to have Lee and Tenten in your group and you may take one or two soldiers with you."

Kakashi nodded and beckoned at Naruto and then after a second thought, he motioned towards Neji. Neji frowned, unsure if he really wanted to be teamed up with his hyperactive comrade, the feisty gypsy girl or the strange looking acrobat. But orders were orders, he couldn't disobey so he resigned himself to his fate.

"Kiba and Gai will form another group," Kurenai needed Gai to stay with Kiba because she was afraid that the young man's emotions would get the better of him when it came to Hinata. She would have to be teamed with Shino, Shino could be surprisingly temperamental and would obey only her orders. Kurenai glanced at the soldiers, "So who will be joining them?"

"Shikamaru and Chouji, they work well together and Shikamaru is very smart, he'll be useful." Asuma grinned at his underlings who stared stonily at him back. Shikamaru wasn't pleased about being separated from his comrades whom he knew, and how they worked under pressure. "So that leaves you, me and your tracker Shino," the bearded Captain pointed out cheerfully to Kurenai.

Her brow furrowed, she didn't want to be partnered with him. It would have made sense to put the Hyuuga Lieutenant with Gai's group instead since he was the next highest ranking soldier but both he and Kiba cared too much about Hinata. She didn't want them doing anything rash, she had to keep those two separated. From what she had observed of the blonde soldier, he was as hot headed as Lee. It might be better to separate those two as well. She sighed, "We need to even up the numbers, Naruto, you're joining our group."

The blonde soldier's look of relief sweeping across his features when he found out that he wasn't going to be in close proximity with Tenten for much longer was great. Kurenai wondered what it was that the petite brunette had done to terrorise him. Tenten was usually such a sweet girl although she could be quite … spirited at times...

* * *

"Looks like you've managed to charm our little captive, Sasuke," sneered Kidomaru. The archer continued to fletch his arrows but Sasuke knew he was being watched very closely. Most of the other bandits still didn't trust him nor like him. He was tolerated only because he was in Orochimaru's favour. The Uchiha ignored him as he went about performing his task of readying the horses.

Tayuya and Kimimoro emerged form the forest breathing hard. They had been creating false trails and traps for their pursuers. Those two bandits didn't look very happy either. "Where's Orochimaru?" asked Kimimoro curtly. He was a dangerous man and all the other bandits were wary of him. The strange white-haired man was also fiercely loyal to Orochimaru to a degree that was frightening.

"In the wagon with his precious snakes," grunted the archer as he dipped the arrow tips in poison before placing them back carefully in his quiver.

The tall swordsman climbed into the wagon and Sasuke inched his way closer with the horses straining to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"They are catching up to us too fast, we will have to abandon the wagons or confront them. Tayuya and I can barely stay ahead of them, they have three highly skilled trackers and the soldiers have joined forces with them now."

Sasuke stiffened, soldiers? They would blow his cover for sure if they knew him and recognised him.

"We can abandon the other two wagons but we need one for the Hyuuga, people will start asking questions if they see her travelling with us. You and the others, will have to try to delay them, kill them if it's easier, to give me more time to get the girl onto a boat before the storms start and we're left stranded at the coast," rasped Orochimaru.

"Which of us do you want?" asked Kimimoro bluntly.

"You, Tayuya, Jirobo, Sakon, Ukon and Kidomaru split up and ambush our pursuers, have a little fun with them if you want," replied Orochimaru sinisterly.

"But then it will just be you and Sasuke."

"Oh don't you worry about me Kimimoro, I can handle Sasuke. You know what to do if you miss the ship because of the storms?"

Sasuke didn't hear Kimimoro's answer but he moved away quickly before the bandit emerged out of the wagon, expressionless as usual. He cast his eyes coolly over Sasuke before turning to leave. The white haired man began coughing. Sasuke wondered how long he had been sick for but it didn't seem to hinder the bandit much, he was still deadlier than all the other bandits they were travelling with except for maybe Orochimaru. But Sasuke wasn't sure himself of the extent of Orochimaru's abilities. The sole reason why Sasuke had joined the snake-like man was to get closer to his brother Itachi who was now running what was left of the Uchiha clan after systematically destroying it himself. He had found out Itachi was a member of a secret society called the Akatsuki just before the Massacre and he knew that Orochimaru was once a part of this secret society after some investigations. It was impossible for him to reach his brother openly as he was a wanted man on the run for supposedly being the perpetrator of the Massacre. But if he was going to revenge his family and bring justice to the person who had really been behind it all, he was going to get hold of the real killer by infiltrating the Akatsuki, a group so secret that even the members did not know more than two or three other fellow Akatsuki.

* * *

The trails had split almost immediately once they had set out from camp after retrieving the soldier's horses. Lee, Tenten and Neji followed Kakashi in a single file through the forest. His dogs roamed circled ahead. Kakashi raised his hand to stop them before climbing off his horse to inspect the ground closely. "This is very fresh, they have been watching us," he murmured thoughtfully. He cast his good eye over the younger men and woman. "Be on your guard."

They remounted and continued following the bandit trail through the forest. Tenten's intuition kept telling her that something was wrong. Her uneasiness was starting to affect her mount as her horse began tossing her head and pinning her ears back. She ran a gloved hand over her mount's neck and murmured soothingly to the horse until it stilled. One of Kakashi's dogs stopped in its tracks and raised a paw so it seemed like it was pointing ahead of it. The dog was growling and the Captain whistled sharply to his dogs, summoning them back to him. All the dogs returned to him obediently except for one who had continued sniffing ahead curiously when suddenly the ground collapsed below it and it yelped. Tenten gasped and her horse reared, forcing her to rein in the mare sharply. The grey mare snorted nervously before standing still but she could feel her mount quivering under her. The dog in the pit was screaming piteously in pain. All the animals were shifting uneasily. Kakashi dismounted, his lips pressed together grimly as he approached the edge of the pit and looked down at his animal. The dog was impaled on a set of roughly made wooden spikes and it struggled weakly to get free.

Tenten climbed off her horse and handed its reins to Lee before joining Kakashi at the edge of the pit. The poor animal was dying and suffering from a great deal of pain. She reached for the long bow strapped to her back and looked at the Captain questioningly. He nodded curtly and she strung the bow and took a careful aim before firing the arrow down into the pit. There was a dead silence as the dog finally stopped struggling. Kakashi's shoulders drooped imperceptibly, "Thank you," he whispered hoarsely.

Lee looked at her sympathetically when she remounted, his round eyes brimming with repressed emotion. He knew how much she hated doing what she had just done. Tenten avoided her friend's eyes, she didn't want to show any weakness if she could help it. She suddenly found herself hating the bandits and even more determined to free Hinata from their clutches.

It was finally Kakashi who had stopped their group for a break since dusk had fallen and they could barely see anything in front of them. It was unspoken that he didn't want to lose anymore of his dogs.

Tenten concentrated on picking the hooves of her mount before moving on to Lee's. She had wanted to keep tracking the bandits but she knew it was too dark and dangerous especially if they had left traps. Tenten could hear Lee asking the Captain in the background if it was safe to start a fire. Unfortunately it looked like it was going to be a cold dinner tonight. She hummed quietly to Lee's horse as she began giving it a quick groom. The Lieutenant was tending to his horse next to her and he nodded at her briefly. It was a friendly gesture coming from him. She knew that Lee had been challenging him to a fight as soon as they stopped to make camp. In fact she wouldn't be surprised if he thought that all gypsies were mad after this experience.

"You saved a lot of grief for Captain Kakashi today," he said quietly so that just the two of them could hear.

"I had to," she replied and continued to untangle the horse's mane. If it had been Akamaru in that dog's place, she knew how devastated Kiba would have been. They continued to tend to the horses in silence until she finally spoke to him, "Are you going to force Hinata to return home to marry Uchiha Itachi after we rescue her?"

Neji didn't answer for a while. "Hinata has to face up to her responsibilities as the Hyuuga Heiress, she shouldn't just run away from them. If she truly cannot bear to marry Uchiha Itachi, she should try to sort something out with her father but suitable noblemen are scarce these days." He didn't feel like explaining to the gypsy girl the political ramifications if they were to refuse the Uchiha. Itachi had been clear about the consequences they would suffer should they refuse to form an alliance with the Uchiha.

"You would think that being rich and powerful meant that you had a say in who you got to marry," mused Tenten.

Neji snorted derisively and shook his head, "No, marriages are for political alliances. Thank goodness Hanabi is still too young to be married off or else she would have to take Hinata's place."

"Hanabi?"

"Hinata's younger sister who was very attached to her."

"Hinata never mentioned she had a younger sister," Tenten murmured thoughtfully and wondered what else she didn't know about her friend.

"I doubt Hinata would have mentioned much about herself, she's very reserved," he told her, as if sensing her thoughts.

Tenten turned to face him and locked her dark brown eyes onto his pale ones. "You are close to her?"

"She is my favourite cousin, it was my job to look out for her," he sighed.

"So why did you become a soldier then? Why aren't you living in the Hyuuga estate?"

"I'm working off my debts to my uncle with my pay as a soldier then I shall save up to buy a nice small farm. I want a quiet life in the country once I am done with being a soldier," he replied quietly and cast his gaze on the stars in the sky. It was a cloudy night; the Storms would be coming soon. When his eyes turned once more to the slight gypsy girl he caught her giving him a small gentle smile that transformed her features. Neji suddenly realised how lovely she was even under the dirt and grime of travelling rough in a forest, away from civilisation.

"I never thought you would be the type to want a nice quiet country life, you seem more like one of those aspiring government leader types."

He grunted, "I hate politics."

"And yet we're wrapped up in the midst of it," she observed wryly.

* * *

**A/N: That was my first death scene (I think) ... one day I shall progress to killing off characters but hopefully not anytime soon on this fic! My justification is that that was intended to show how ruthless and dangerous the Bandits are and what the gypsies and soldiers are up against.**

**Anyway, explanations aside, I hope this chapter will tide you over. The next chapter should be better (or at least the chapter after that) fingers crossed.**

**Oh and please review! I like reviews very much, I'm a review junkie/whore/addict/insert another noun along the same lines.**


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